Woman in Bareilly fabricates gang-rape, shooting allegation to frame Mayor, say police
Bareilly: A 40-year-old woman from Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh has been accused of fabricating a sensational case involving abduction, gang-rape, and an attempt to murder, allegedly to falsely implicate the city’s Mayor, Dr Umesh Gautam, and his son.
According to police, the woman lodged a complaint on March 29, claiming that five men had abducted her, raped her inside a moving vehicle, and then shot her in the chest before abandoning her. The case initially triggered concern and a police response.
However, during the course of investigation, police uncovered discrepancies in her version of events. Medical examination results and CCTV footage from various locations mentioned in her complaint did not support her narrative. A key element of her allegation, the bullet injury on her chest, was found to be self-inflicted with assistance from an unlicensed doctor.
Police officials revealed that the woman had paid ₹2,500 to a quack to surgically implant a bullet into her body to make the injury appear real. The case came under scrutiny after the findings were reported by Hindi daily Navbharat Times.
Further investigation revealed that the woman had worked as a domestic help at Mayor Umesh Gautam’s residence until 2021. Police also noted that she had filed a similar complaint against the Mayor in 2022, which had been closed due to lack of evidence.
In her latest complaint, the woman alleged that the Mayor's son, Parth Gautam, had instructed the accused kidnappers over a phone call to eliminate her, claiming she was creating problems for his father. However, surveillance footage from the claimed locations of the incident failed to support her story.
Police said legal action would be taken in connection with the false complaint and for the involvement of the unlicensed doctor who assisted in the surgical procedure.
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Entry to all ASI sites to be free on International Museum Day tomorrow
New Delhi, May 17 (PTI): Entry to all sites and museums under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) across the country will be free on Sunday in view of the International Museum Day.
There are 3,698 protected monuments and sites, and 52 museums under the ambit of the ASI.
"The ASI is pleased to announce that entry to all ASI monuments and museums across the country will be free on May 18, on the occasion of International Museum Day," the Culture Ministry said in a statement.
The International Museum Day highlights the vital role that museums play in preserving cultural heritage, promoting education, and fostering dialogue across communities and generations.
This year to encourage wider public participation, the ASI is offering free access to its network of 52 site museums and all ticketed monuments across the country, which house some of India's most treasured archaeological artefacts, from prehistoric tools and sculptures to medieval inscriptions, and more, the statement said.
"This initiative seeks to deepen public engagement with India's rich cultural legacy and to provide a meaningful platform for people to reconnect with history and heritage," it said.
The ASI also has a dedicated Museum Wing which deals with maintenance and management of its site museums, which includes one at Sarnath site (1910) being the earliest in the series of archaeological site museums located across the country, the ministry said.
The concept of archaeological site museums sought to preserve and display the excavated and movable artefacts near the site so that the displayed objects don't lose its context and may be studied by researchers and visitors alike while visiting the site, it said.
Recently, India's first underground museum at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Humayun's Tomb was inaugurated, along with the Virtual Experiential Museum at Man Mahal Observatory, Varanasi and Archaeological site of Lalitagiri at Odisha, the ministry added.
ASI site museums are being upgraded to facilitate the need of every section of the society, and with modern interventions like AR-VR (augmented reality-virtual reality) also being incorporated to give visitors a holistic experience, officials said.
